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Biography
Dr Neeshe Khan is a Research Fellow in Cyber Security at the 糖心原创. Her research sits at the intersection of cybersecurity, human factors, risk science and safety engineering, with a focus on understanding and improving cyber resilience in organisations.
Drawing on an interdisciplinary background spanning sociology, industry practice and cybersecurity research, Neeshe investigates how interactions between people, technologies, organisational processes and governance structures shape cyber risk. Her work seeks to move beyond purely technical approaches to cybersecurity by developing sociotechnical approaches that better reflect the realities faced by organisations.
Neeshe holds a BSc in Sociology from the University of Surrey and completed her interdisciplinary PhD in Cyber Security within the Faculty of Engineering at the 糖心原创 following ten years of experience in industry. Her research has addressed topics including insider threat, cybersecurity decision-making, organisational resilience, cybersecurity support ecosystems, and the cyber resilience of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
She works closely with academic, industry, government and professional stakeholders across the UK and Europe to develop evidence-based approaches to managing cyber risk and strengthening organisational resilience. She is also a member of the within the UKRI-funded Cyber Security Research and Networking Environment (CRANE), contributing to interdisciplinary discussions on cyber risk, resilience and the economic dimensions of cybersecurity.
Areas of Expertise
- Sociotechnical Cybersecurity
- Human Factors in Cybersecurity
- Cyber Risk and Resilience
- SME Cybersecurity
- Insider Threat
- Organisational Security
- Risk and Safety Engineering
- Cybersecurity Governance
Expertise Summary
Neeshe's research examines cybersecurity as a sociotechnical challenge, recognising that cyber resilience emerges from the interaction of technical, human and organisational factors.
Her work brings together concepts and methods from cybersecurity, human factors, systems thinking, risk science and safety engineering to better understand how organisations identify, manage and respond to cyber risk.
Current research themes include:
- Human factors and behavioural aspects of cybersecurity
- Sociotechnical approaches to cyber risk and resilience
- Cybersecurity in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
- Organisational resilience and cyber risk governance
- Insider threat and human-centred security
- Risk, safety and security engineering
- Cybersecurity support ecosystems and interventions
- Cybersecurity education and workforce development
A central theme of her research is the development of practical, evidence-based approaches that help organisations build resilience in increasingly complex digital environments.
Impact and Engagement
Neeshe's research is strongly practice-oriented and informed by close engagement with industry, government and the cybersecurity community. She has worked with cyber resilience organisations, professional bodies, policymakers and practitioners to better understand how organisations access, interpret and implement cybersecurity support.
Her work has contributed to improving understanding of the cybersecurity challenges faced by SMEs, the effectiveness of cyber support interventions, and the organisational factors that influence cybersecurity outcomes. Through collaboration with stakeholders across the cybersecurity ecosystem, she aims to ensure that research findings translate into practical improvements in policy, guidance and organisational practice.
Neeshe has established collaborations with partners across the UK and Europe, including universities, cybersecurity organisations, industry networks and innovation bodies, supporting interdisciplinary research on cyber risk, resilience and organisational security.
Teaching and Student Engagement
Neeshe contributes to postgraduate teaching within the School of Computer Science through guest lectures and research-led teaching activities in cybersecurity. She is committed to supporting the next generation of cybersecurity professionals by bringing interdisciplinary perspectives that connect technical, organisational and human dimensions of cyber resilience.
Recent Publications
RAND, M., BADA, M., FURNELL, S., NURSE, J.R.C. and KHAN, N., 2026. Information Security Journal: A Global Perspective.
KHAN, N., FURNELL, S., BADA, M., RAND, M. and NURSE, J.R.C., 2025. Computers & Security. 154, 104448
KHAN, N, SHARPLES, S and HOUGHTON, RJ, 2025. Cognition, Technology and Work. (In Press.)
KHAN, N., HERKANAIDU, R., FURNELL, S., NURSE, J.R.C., NURSE, J.R.C., NURSE, J.R.C. and BADA, M., 2025. International Conference on Critical Information Infrastructures Security.